How Michael Schumacher’s legacy was born on a fold-up bike

On the 20th anniversary of
Michael Schumacher’s F1 debut at Spa, Metro turns the clock back to the 1991 Belgian GP.

Michael Schumacher was crowned world champion just three years after his Spa debut (Pic: Mike Hewitt/Allsport)

‘When youâve never driven an F1 car before and after two laps youâre taking Eau Rouge flatâ¦I couldnât believe it.’ Andrea de Cesaris trails off. Not from embarrassment, because while some might find it hard to take â youâve competed in 160 grands prix, and suddenly hereâs this unknown kid and heâs quicker than you â Andrea feels no bitterness, just sheer admiration. He was Michael Schumacherâs first Formula One team-mate and he knew he would be dining out on that story for the rest of his life.

âNow itâs easy to say he was fast, but Spa is no picnic. Itâs one of the toughest tracks, very quick, long and extremely challenging. I expected the rookie to struggle there.â

Schumacher was an underground talent. After winning the German F3 title in 1990 he had been signed to Mercedes-Benz, who ran him in their Group C sportscar team.

But a seat at Jordan seat came up when an altercation with a London taxi driver left Bertrand Gachot serving two months at Her Majestyâs Pleasure. Eddie Jordan considered several replacements, before agreeing to take Schumacher, along with Â£150,000 of Mercedes money.

Spa Francorchamps is no great distance from Michaelâs home town of Kerpen but, having never seen the track, he went out for four pedal-powered laps on a fold-up bicycle the Thursday before the race. The next morning his mode of transport was the Jordan-Ford 191, and he soon found the limit.

Foster said: âWe were quite under-resourced and one knock could ruin a whole weekend for us. I pulled him in at one point to ask him: âAre you sure youâre not going over the limit?â His tone was just so calm: âItâs OK, donât worry.â He took everything in his stride.â

Schumacher qualified seventh but a melted clutch put paid to his debut after turn one. âIâm quite certain that if the clutch hadnât failed, Michael would have claimed a podium finish,â Foster added.

The next time Jordan and Phillips saw the future world champion was on the Thursday before Monza, at a six-star hotel on Lake Como, as Schumacher sat with Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and an army of lawyers. He had caught the eye of Benetton, who promised to take him to the top â fulfilling that vow just three years later when Schumacher won the first of his seven world titles, five of which were to come with Ferrari.

Michael was in for a seat fitting at Benetton that week when he sent his former boss a handwritten fax:

âDear Eddie, Iâm sorry but I am unable to take up your offer of a drive. Yours sincerely, Michaelâ

He later conceded: âI had little idea about the complexity of the whole business.â